Change: For Better or For Worse
by The Heart's Desires
Summary: Spinelli smiled sadly before turning over on her bad and groaning out loud. "I don't want anything to change...but this might be it."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I haven't seen a lot of good TJ x Spinelli stories so I decided to write my own! Please excuse any errors. I do not own "Recess."**

"I don't want to wear it! You can't make me!" A 14-year-old Spinelli yelled as she stomped out of her room and into the living room. Not much further away, her mother trailed behind, clutching a pink frilly dress near her chest.

"But honey, your grandmother would have wanted to you wear it. She specifically bought it for you when you were born and was hoping you would wear it on your graduation before she passed!" Flo yelled, exasperated at her daughter's stubbornness. This was the third time she had to argue with her daughter about the topic and it was getting old, fast. Ashley only had a month left in middle school and they still couldn't figure out what she would wear to her graduation!

Spinelli swiftly turn around and gave her mother a hard glare. Her eyebrows knitted together as her lips curled downwards into a frown. Both hands were clenched into tight fists; and despite the fact that she was only in a red t-shirt and black shorts, her fists shook out of anger rather than from the cold. She was as tired of the topic as her mother was and she just wanted her to drop it. What she wore at her graduation was her choice and hers alone. It doesn't help that the dress looked like what the Ashleys might wear too.

"She's dead now; six feet under the ground! Why should we even care?!" Spinelli shot back.

"Ashley Funicello Spinelli, have some respect for your elders and your family! That's no way to talk about your deceased grandma! I raised you better than that!" Flo exclaimed as she curled her hands into fists and placed them on their respective hip. Her right hand clutched onto her dress.

"Pookie, your mother means well. Why don't you want to wear this dress? You know you're strong enough to beat up anyone who even looks at you the wrong way, " Bob, her father, asked as he came out from hiding behind his wife. Flo turned her head to glare at her husband but said nothing.

"...I...I just don't want to okay? Can't we leave it at that? I don't want to talk about it..." Spinelli replied sadly as she lowered her head and loosened her fists.

Flo and Bob looked at each other and then back at their daughter in concern. "Well, dear," Flo started, "We can talk about this later when you feel more like it; but don't think you're off the hook! I expect to have an explanation a week before your graduation at the very latest, okay?" Spinelli nodded. "Alright then, you are free to go."

Not to be stalled any longer, Spinelli practically ran to her room and slammed her door. She fell face first into her bed with a loud "oof"; her arms and legs spread out. After a while, she turned her head upwards to breathe, but a picture frame caught her eye. Spinelli smiled sadly before turning over on her bad and groaning out loud. "I don't want anything to change...but this might be it."

_~~~Flashback~~~_

"Ah, Third Street Middle School, how we will miss thee," Mikey recited with one hand raised above his head and the other placed over his heart as he stood in front of said school. His short blond hair blew gently in the wind as some of his peers walked pass him. Even at 15 years old, Mikey was still the big softie everybody knew and loved. Although he grew taller and slightly more muscular, he really didn't change much from when he was 10 years old.

"Chill, Mikey. We still have a couple months left here in middle school. We don't have to miss it just yet," Vince said as he placed a reassuring hand on Mickey's shoulder. Like Mickey, Vince also grew taller and more muscular with age. He still wore his high tops and shorts to school but his jersey was replaced by t-shirts, usually printed with his favorite basketball team.

"Yeah, I still can't believe we went to the same middle school...or the fact that Ms. Finster came with us," Gus added as he shivered at the thought of Ms. Finster. Gus changed the least out of the entire gang. He still wore the same military attire and still had the same buzzcut from when he was ten.

"Well, the school district was in dire need of adult supervision during recess in the higher grades, so it only made sense to transfer Ms. Finster over to Third Street Middle School when a majority of the students from Third Street Elementary School came here," Gretchen explained as she pushed up her glasses. Gone were her signature pig-tails and were replaced with a single ponytail, tied up in a pink ribbon. In addition, her blue dress was shortened to reach slightly above her knees rather than dangle near her ankles. Although her body filled out her dress to some extent, she was still considered to be very skinny.

"Hey guys, Spinelli's finally here! Let's go say hi," TJ exclaimed before running ahead to greet his friend. TJ still wore his signature red hat, green jacket and blue jeans; although his jeans had some holes in them due to an increase in rough and tumble play during recess. His features were sharpened with age and he was considered one of the more likeable boys in Third Street Middle School, along with Vince.

Spinelli met TJ half way. She stopped to rest her hands on her knees to breathe. When she looked up, she was face to face with TJ. Her cheeks heated up slightly. TJ smiled gently.

"Uh..," Spinelli started before clearing her throat and straightening up to make eye contact with TJ. TJ was only an inch taller than her. "Sorry about that. The stinkin' bus was late so I ran to school instead."

"No worries, Spin. We would have waited for you even if you were late...well, probably not Gretchen...but you know how she is," TJ replied while sheepishly scratching his head.

"Speaking of which, where is the rest of the gang?" Spinelli asked. She tilted her body to look behind TJ and saw the rest of her friends walking towards her. She smiled.

Spinelli no longer wore her red dress and colorful stockings, but she kept her orange beanie. She now wears fitted black jeans to pair with her own black combat boots. Red was still her favorite color so she had a red tank top on underneath her black leather jacket. She no longer put her hair in pigtails but rather let it flow down to her shoulders.

"Hey Spin, glad you can make it. Shall we?" Vince asked as he stuck out his arm for Spinelli to take. "We shall...Sir Kicks-a-lot," Spinelli replied while hooking her arm with Vince's before they all burst into laughter. "Man Spin, I haven't been called that phrase since the presidential campaign in fourth grade!"

"Well, you know," Spinelli began as she shrugged her shoulders. "Time flies."

"And speaking of time, we really should head in or else we'll miss the bell," Gretchen said while looking up from her watch.

"Alright gang, let's go!" TJ exclaimed.

"Recess! The one time of the day which a kid can hang loose and enjoy himself," TJ said as he stretched himself out in the sun. The playground was eerily similar to the one at their old school.

"Yeah! Time to cream you guys in basketball! Who's in?" Spinelli yelled as she ran up to the gang with a basketball in hand.

The rest of the gang happily agreed in unison and ran to the basketball courts.

"Three on three? Same teams?" Vince asked as he bent his knees slightly in front of TJ while he held the ball in his hands. TJ glanced behind him and nodded towards Spinelli and Gretchen. Both girls smiled and nodded back. TJ turned back to Vince and smirked. "Check it."

Vince smiled back and threw the ball to TJ. TJ dribbled the ball and threw it to Gretchen, who was guarded by Gus. Since Gretchen was still taller than Gus, she was able to receive the ball easily. Gretchen dribbled the ball for a few seconds before throwing it in Spinelli's general direction. Unfortunately, Vince intercepted the throw and caught the ball.

Both Spinelli and TJ ran to block Vince from taking the shot but ended up crashing into each other. The ball went through the basket and Vince jumped up in joy. "Two points!" Vince cried before running over to his teammates for high fives.

On the floor, TJ and Spinelli were busy disentangling themselves from each other. "Ugh, sorry about that Teej," Spinelli began as she placed her hands on either sides of TJ's head as she shook away her headache. "But hey, thanks for cushioning my fall...you're kinda soft, ya know?" Spinelli smiled as a soft blush graced her cheeks. She locked eyes with TJ as he stared back at her, his arms propping up his upwards. He blushed at the predicament they were in and could only stutter a "Uh-huh" before adverting his eyes towards his red sneakers.

Gretchen stood a few feet away, observing the interaction. "Interesting..."

Not too far away, four other girls were watching them with evil glints in their eyes.

"Hey Teej, Spin; we gonna play ball or what?" Vince asked as he walked towards the blushing pre-teens.

Spinelli looked up, smiled sheepishly and nodded. Due to the fact that she practically scrambled to get away from TJ, she fell back onto his chest with a loud "oof."

"Heh, sorry again Teej," Spinelli said as she laid there comfortably; content with resting on him. TJ blushed even harder and said nothing.

"Spinelli, I think you're cutting off TJ's circulation. He's turning really red," Gus said. The gang practically stood around the two sprawled out teens on the floor.

Spinelli turned around and sure enough, TJ was as red as a tomato. "Oh, my bad. I don't even know my own strength...erm, weight," Spinelli said as she slowly pushed off of TJ. Mikey grasped TJ by the shoulders and helped him get back up on his feet. "There you go, old friend," he said. TJ continued to stare at his shoes.

"Okay! Let's play some b-ball!" Spinelli cried as the game resumed on the court.

**A/N: I've been getting really into Recess for some reason and really liked the interactions between Spinelli and TJ. I'm trying really hard to keep them in character by watching a lot of episodes. Hope you enjoyed it! **

**Please review (and tell me how you like/don't like it; if the characters are in character, etc.)! Thankssss!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't own "Recess." Please excuse any errors. I did not re-read it. And review! Also, thanks to all those that reviewed! :]**

~~(o)~~

"I have called this meeting to discuss something of utmost importance: TJ, like, seems to have a crush on that tomboy Spinugly," Ashley A spat as she paced around the Ashley clubhouse. Over the years, Ashley A grew out her blond hair but kept her pink headband. Although she still wore her grey cardigan, a pink dress replaced her usual attire in elementary school. A magenta belt wrapped around her waist while a long golden necklace dangled around her neck.

"But like, why should we care?" Ashley B asked from her place on the Ashley clubhouse's couch. "They've been friends since forever so it was gonna happen someday." Ashley B kept her hair at shoulders' length. Her yellow cardigan was replaced by a yellow vest over a white blouse. She also wore yellow-green tights underneath her yellow skirt.

"Yeah, they even kissed in the fourth grade!" Ashley Q added. Like Ashley A, Ashley Q grew out her red hair but had it braided to one side. Her furry cardigan has been replaced with a plain dark blue cardigan. She also wore a silver v-neck t-shirt underneath the cardigan, along with a tight light blue skirt.

Ashley T stayed silent but nodded in agreement. Gone was her green blouse and was replaced with a fashionable green sweater. She paired it off with a dark green skirt.

"Girlfriends, I have a confession to make," Ashley A said before taking a deep breath. "I...like TJ Detweiler."

The other three Ashleys gasped.

"Yes, it's true. I, like, couldn't believe it either but, like, he grew cuter over the years; and I couldn't help but like him!" Ashley A continued.

The rest of the Ashleys looked at each other, dumbfounded and shocked. They all had plans to date hotter and older guys in high school but that plan fell to shambles with Ashley A's confession. As they turned back to their fellow Ashley, she had her eyes closed, head hung low and her lips formed into a frown. Taking a deep breath, Ashley B stood up and placed a reassuring hand on Ashley A's shoulder.

"Like, this is a great tragedy for us all but we Ashleys need to stick together in this, like, ordeal," Ashley B said calmly. Ashley A lifted her head and gave a small smile.

"At least it's TJ, and not, like, Randall," Ashley Q said with a face scrunched up in disgust. The rest of the Ashleys said "ew" in response.

"And he's, like, athletic, tall, cute and a natural-born leader like moi," Ashley A happily added in. All the other Ashleys nodded in agreement.

"Come on, girls! Gather up as many TeenGlam* magazines as you can! We, like, got us a boy to catch!" Ashley B exclaimed with a smile.

"Ooo, scandalous!" followed by laughter, was the response.

Unbeknownst to the four giggling girls, a certain snitch was collecting information outside of the clubhouse. Although one particular comment made him grimace at one point, he had enough juicy information in which will come handy later on. And with a chuckle and a smile, he scampered away.

~~(o)~~

"Class, in honor of your upcoming graduation, I am assigning a project," Mr. Bobby announced while the 8th grade class gave a collective groan. "However, the assignment is to be completed in pairs."

The class rejoiced.

"But I will be assigning the pairs."

The class groaned again.

"The project will be on anything of your own choosing in whatever medium you and your partner chooses. But, you must focus on the "future." It will be due around the week of graduation and will be 50% of your final grade. Now, on with the pairings: Spinelli, you will be paired with Mikey."

Spinelli looked at Mikey and gave him two thumbs up. Mikey offered her a large grin in response.

"Vince, you will be paired with Gretchen."

"Cool! I got the smartest kid in the class," Vince yelled out as he gave Gretchen a high five.

"Ashley B, you will be paired with Fred. Ashley Q, you will be paired with Randell..."

"Like, ew. I want to change partners," was Ashley Q's response. She stuck out her tongue for emphasis. Randell frowned.

"We will talk about pair arrangements later Ashley Q, so bare with me now," Mr. Bobby said with a sigh.

"Gus, you will be paired with...Francis."

"Hehe, guess we're partners Hustler kid," Gus said nervously.

"I guess so," Francis aka Hustler kid said with a smirk.

"And last but not least, TJ, you will be paired with Ashley A."

"What?!" TJ and Spinelli exclaimed as they stood up. Both TJ and Spinelli looked at each other before blushing and taking their seats. But TJ wasn't finished with his outburst, "I demand a different arrangement with someone less...despicable!"

Out of the corner of Spinelli's eye, she saw Ashley A smile slightly but then slump in her seat with a frown during TJ's outburst. She cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Calm down TJ. This project is special in that you can chose to trade partners if you don't like the one that you have. For instance, TJ, you can switch with Ashley Q and have Randell as your partner."

"I'd rather have Ashley A than that snitch," TJ grumbled as he sunk into his seat. "Who knows what kind of information he'll find out and use against me later on."

Spinelli saw Ashley A grin with...was that happiness? Spinelli had to rub her eyes and blink a couple times before looking at her again. Yup, it was still there. Suddenly, Ashley A frowned. "What are you staring at, Spinugly? Admiring my oh-so unattainable beauty?"

"More like oh-so unattainable ugliness, HA!" Everybody laughed at that comment. Ashley A crossed her arms and huffed.

"Okay, if no one wants to trade partners, then you're stuck with the one you have," Mr. Bobby said as the bell rang. "Well, we're out of time today. See you tomorrow, class."

The gang looked at each other and smiled. "Kelso's?" Mikey asked with his eyes shining and his hands clasped together.

"Always, big guy," Spinelli answered.

~~(o)~~

"Man, I can't believe I got paired up with an Ashley," TJ whined as he placed his head in his hands. Then, he looked up and sheepishly smiled at Spinelli. "No offense Spin."

"None taken, Teej. I don't associate with those powderpuffs," Spinelli said as she slurped her smoothie.

"I don't like them Ashleys either but any one of them is better than Ashley A," Vince added. "Luck just wasn't on your side today, Teej."

"Agreed. Although it was interesting to observe Ashley Q restraining herself from switching partners with you, TJ," Gretchen said. "I would have thought she would want to or at least attempt to switch partners with you, since Ashley A is her friend."

"Yeah, I saw that Ashley A smile when she heard you were paired with her," Spinelli said seriously. She had finished her smoothie and turned her full attention towards TJ. Her eyebrows were knitted together in confusion.

Gus shook slightly at the end of the table. "You think they're planning something? Something bad possibly?"

"Oh woe is us. Forever in combat with our sworn enemies," Mikey cried with a hand placed upon his hand.

"Well, if they are, we'll be ready. And if they do get Teej, we'll hit them back ten times harder," Spinelli said. Determination sparked in her eyes as she clenched one of her hands into a fist and rammed it into her other hand.

"Yeah!" Everybody yelled.

"Maybe she just likes you."

Everybody turned towards the voice.

"What you talking about, Kelso," TJ asked. Despite the fact that TJ wanted to ask that question, it came out as more of a demand.

"Well, forgive an old man for eavesdropping, but I just couldn't help it," Mr. Kelso chuckled out loud, "You youngins are growing up so fast and I thought you might appreciate a little input from an adult. Of course, you are free to ignore little old me."

"Ashley A likes TJ? Pfft. Not in this world. She hates his guts," Spinelli laughed out.

"Ah, but there is a thin line between love and hate," Mr. Kelso said.

"I remember reading something like that in my poetry books!" Mikey said, cheerfully. "Although I forgot how it went…" Mikey then looked down in thought.

"I mean, it's not an impossibility. It is an option. We shouldn't rule out our options; no matter how improbable it is," Gretchen said.

Tj laughed. "I doubt Ashley A likes me, Gretchen. Like Spinelli said, she hates my guts. She's probably trying to figure out what kind of lip junk she wants to put on me for the project right now." The rest of gang laughed. "Thanks Mr. Kelso, but no thanks. We got this under control."

Mr. Kelso smiled softly before he walked away from the gang.

~~(o)~~

*I made it up.

**A/N: Woot! That was kind of hard to write but I finally got it down! I didn't want to write something so commonly seen/read but I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what else to write. (I don't have anything worked out-I write as I go.)**

**If you like it, PLEASE review. :] Tell me what you think! **

**It'll make my day. **


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